Virginia woman arrested after bringing loaded handgun to Richmond International Airport
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A Yorktown woman was arrested April 3 after the Transportation Security Administration found a loaded handgun in her carry-on bag at Richmond International Airport. The 9mm firearm was loaded with 10 bullets, including one in the chamber, the TSA said.
The gun was discovered as the woman entered the security checkpoint; the X-ray unit on the carry-on bag alerted to the weapon, prompting additional inspection by TSA officers. Richmond Airport Police confiscated the weapon and issued a citation to the woman on a weapons charge.
A representative from the TSA said that the woman also faces a civil penalty of up to $15,000 for bringing the gun to a TSA security checkpoint. The TSA reported that this is the eighth gun caught this year at the airport and the second in a four-day period.
TSA officials are reminding travelers that guns are strictly prohibited from flying onto commercial planes. Firearms can be safely transported in checked baggage, provided that they are properly packed and unloaded.
TSA PreCheck members who bring guns to airport checkpoints will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
